7-5A should be fun again

Kelly McElroyStaff Writer

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 9:26 a.m.

Well high school sports fans, Christmas is over and New Year’s is a few days away and for those of you especially interested in prep basketball that means one thing — we are about get district action cranked up.

From top to bottom, we have solid girls and boys teams and competitive districts throughout the region, but the one district that is again especially intriguing is the boys district of 7-5A, which features Central Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, South Lafourche, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Westgate.

Last season, New Iberia, South Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, Westgate and Terrebonne (five of the league’s seven teams) made the playoffs.

New Iberia just got past H.L. Bourgeois in the first round 74-70 and advanced to the quarterfinals, and Westgate went to the second round.

So that goes to show you the amount of talent within the district when of the 32 Class 5A teams to make the playoffs last season, five came from 7-5A. That’s 15.6 percent of the playoffs teams from one league, and there is again no shortage of talent in 7-5A this season.

Entering Thursday night’s action, the seven teams in the district had a combined record of 54-35.

Central Lafourche, under first-year head coach Ronald Brisco, is 5-7, and while the Trojans may not be poised to compete for a district title this season, they could easily toss in a couple of big upsets that could go a long way in deciding the league title.

H.L. Bourgeois and coach Andrew Caillouet have gotten off to an 11-3 start this season and have only lost to Tara and Vandebilt Catholic twice.

The Braves may not be the deepest team around, but they can score points in bunches and when they are hitting from the 3-point line, they are tough to beat. H.L. Bourgeois could easily be in the district title mix.

And speaking of tough to beat, New Iberia is also sitting at 11 wins early in the season and always features talented athletes. The Yellow Jackets have three district home games to start the season then go on the road for five of their next six before closing the league with two home games.

How New Iberia fares during that middle of the district road trip will be key in how the district shakes out and determine if they are in the district hunt.

South Lafourche is off to a 7-5 start and also plays five of six district games on the road in the middle of league play, but the Tarpons and coach Brian Callais are always a threat to compete for the league title. The Tarpons are known for their slow-it-down style and tough defense, but South Lafourche has some guys who can really score this season as well.

Terrebonne is 7-7 this season under coach Derek Szush, but led Westgate late in the district opener on Dec. 18 before Westgate pulled away in the final minutes.

Terrebonne closes district with H.L. Bourgeois and New Iberia and those two games could be important ones for not only the Tigers and their chances but for the district as a whole.

Thibodaux started slow this season, but has won six of its last nine games and if the Tigers continue to improve under coach Tony Clark, they could be fighting for a playoff berth.

Westgate has emerged as a basketball power in recent years and with a 7-2 record so far this season, the Tigers should be a major factor in district play.

With a lot of parity and talent through the league, there’s no doubt it will be a very exciting new few weeks in District 7-5A.

Staff Writer Kelly McElroy can be reached at 857-2211 or at kelly.mcelroy@houmatoday.com.

<p>Well high school sports fans, Christmas is over and New Year's is a few days away and for those of you especially interested in prep basketball that means one thing — we are about get district action cranked up.</p><p>From top to bottom, we have solid girls and boys teams and competitive districts throughout the region, but the one district that is again especially intriguing is the boys district of 7-5A, which features Central Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, New Iberia, South Lafourche, Terrebonne, Thibodaux and Westgate. </p><p>Last season, New Iberia, South Lafourche, H.L. Bourgeois, Westgate and Terrebonne (five of the league's seven teams) made the playoffs.</p><p>New Iberia just got past H.L. Bourgeois in the first round 74-70 and advanced to the quarterfinals, and Westgate went to the second round.</p><p>So that goes to show you the amount of talent within the district when of the 32 Class 5A teams to make the playoffs last season, five came from 7-5A. That's 15.6 percent of the playoffs teams from one league, and there is again no shortage of talent in 7-5A this season.</p><p>Entering Thursday night's action, the seven teams in the district had a combined record of 54-35.</p><p>Central Lafourche, under first-year head coach Ronald Brisco, is 5-7, and while the Trojans may not be poised to compete for a district title this season, they could easily toss in a couple of big upsets that could go a long way in deciding the league title.</p><p>H.L. Bourgeois and coach Andrew Caillouet have gotten off to an 11-3 start this season and have only lost to Tara and Vandebilt Catholic twice.</p><p>The Braves may not be the deepest team around, but they can score points in bunches and when they are hitting from the 3-point line, they are tough to beat. H.L. Bourgeois could easily be in the district title mix.</p><p>And speaking of tough to beat, New Iberia is also sitting at 11 wins early in the season and always features talented athletes. The Yellow Jackets have three district home games to start the season then go on the road for five of their next six before closing the league with two home games.</p><p>How New Iberia fares during that middle of the district road trip will be key in how the district shakes out and determine if they are in the district hunt.</p><p>South Lafourche is off to a 7-5 start and also plays five of six district games on the road in the middle of league play, but the Tarpons and coach Brian Callais are always a threat to compete for the league title. The Tarpons are known for their slow-it-down style and tough defense, but South Lafourche has some guys who can really score this season as well.</p><p>Terrebonne is 7-7 this season under coach Derek Szush, but led Westgate late in the district opener on Dec. 18 before Westgate pulled away in the final minutes.</p><p>Terrebonne closes district with H.L. Bourgeois and New Iberia and those two games could be important ones for not only the Tigers and their chances but for the district as a whole.</p><p>Thibodaux started slow this season, but has won six of its last nine games and if the Tigers continue to improve under coach Tony Clark, they could be fighting for a playoff berth.</p><p>Westgate has emerged as a basketball power in recent years and with a 7-2 record so far this season, the Tigers should be a major factor in district play.</p><p>With a lot of parity and talent through the league, there's no doubt it will be a very exciting new few weeks in District 7-5A.</p><p>Staff Writer Kelly McElroy can be reached at 857-2211 or at kelly.mcelroy@houmatoday.com.</p>